MQS Management LLC Makes New $606,000 Investment in American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

MQS Management LLC bought a new position in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 5,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $606,000.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in American Electric Power during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Advantage Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 57.1% during the 2nd quarter. Advantage Trust Co now owns 275 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. increased its position in shares of American Electric Power by 166.0% in the second quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 282 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the period. Finally, GoalVest Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of American Electric Power by 277.1% in the second quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 313 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Electric Power Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of American Electric Power stock opened at $121.23 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $117.08 and its 200 day moving average is $115.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.75 billion, a PE ratio of 17.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.62. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $97.46 and a 1 year high of $124.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is 55.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $114.00 to $107.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $128.00 to $133.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $128.00 to $137.00 in a research report on Monday, November 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $127.39.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Benjamin G. S. Fowke III sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.07, for a total value of $575,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,898 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,980,082.86. This represents a 16.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

About American Electric Power

American Electric Power (NASDAQ: AEP) is a major investor-owned electric utility headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. The company is primarily engaged in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, operating a diverse portfolio of power plants and an extensive high-voltage transmission network. AEP serves retail customers through its regulated utility subsidiaries and provides wholesale power and grid services across multiple regional markets in the United States.

Operations span the full utility value chain: AEP owns and operates generation assets that include fossil-fuel, natural gas, nuclear and hydropower facilities, and it has been adding renewable resources to its mix.